Surgery scheduled for UConn coach Calhoun

In this April 4, 2011 file photo, Connecticut head coach Jim Calhoun sits on the sideline during the second half of the men's NCAA Final Four college basketball championship game against Butler, in Houston.

The Associated Press

Posted Feb. 22, 2012, at 7:36 p.m.

STORRS, Conn. — UConn basketball coach Jim Calhoun will undergo surgery next week to address a lower back condition and he will miss the Huskies’ next two games.

The university said Wednesday the status of the Hall of Fame coach, who has been on a medical leave of absence since Feb. 3, will then be evaluated on “a day-to-day basis.”

Calhoun is expected to be hospitalized for one or two nights and then continue his recovery at home following Monday’s procedure. The surgery is intended to alleviate spinal stenosis, a painful narrowing of the spine, normally associated with aging and sometimes with arthritis.

Calhoun will not coach against Syracuse on Saturday or at Providence on Tuesday.

Story continues below advertisement.

“I’m glad we have finally determined the best course of treatment to deal with the problem,” Calhoun said. “I’m looking forward to having the procedure done, hopefully recovering as quickly as possible, and putting it all in the past.”

Calhoun, who turns 70 in May, began experiencing lower back pain last summer and has missed six games due to the medical leave. He also missed three games this season because of an NCAA suspension for recruiting violations.

The Huskies (17-10, 7-8 Big East) play host to Pittsburgh in their final regular-season game on March 3. The Big East tournament begins March 6 at Madison Square Garden.

Associate head coach George Blaney will remain in charge of the team in Calhoun’s absence.

Calhoun has had a history of health problems. He is a three-time cancer survivor, overcoming prostate cancer in 2003 and skin cancer twice, most recently in 2008.